DC To More Than Double Traffic-Camera Network

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's capital plans to add 134 traffic cameras next year to its already extensive network of devices that generate tickets for speeding and running red lights.

The Washington Examiner reports that the new cameras will more than double the size of the traffic-camera program in the District of Columbia.

Traffic cameras generated a record $85 million in revenue during the last fiscal year. The D.C. Council recently voted to reduce some fines for motorists caught on camera.

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Paul Quander says the cameras are saving lives because they force people to slow down. District officials say traffic fatalities dropped from 72 in 2001 to 32 in 2011.

But detractors say the cameras are driven more by revenue than public safety.